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My dear author friend DM Cain has her next book coming out and I get to show off the cover!!

This next installment in The Light and Shadow Chronicles is called The Shield of Soren. Set thirty years before the events of A Chronicle of Chaos, this novel covers the story of mischievous trouble maker, ten-year-old Soren Nitaya and the events that change the way he will see the world forever. BLURB

The Shield of Soren

Ten-year-old Soren Nitaya’s marked talent makes him the youngest soldier ever to become an apprentice to the legendary warrior, Raven Lennox. As a prince of Alcherys, he will be expected to fight in the eternal war against the Brotherhood of Shadow when he reaches sixteen.

But is the young prince up to the task when he’s more interested in causing mischief than in mastering weapons?

When one of Soren’s adventures goes off course, he unwittingly unleashes a deadly threat. It appears that an age-old prophecy is finally coming to pass, and Soren and his family must take a perilous journey deep into their enemy’s land. Does Soren have what it takes to save his country before the Brotherhood destroys everyone and everything he loves?

The Shield of Soren EXCERPT

With a loud clang of metal slamming into metal, the final bolt was undone. Reign slowly pulled the door open, and Vincent found his breath catching in his throat.

High-pitched whimpering came from the tiny bundle of rags cowering at the back of the cage. Her long silver hair parted for a moment and Vincent could see her wide, silver eyes, terrified and innocent. Vincent’s skin prickled with discomfort. He hoped that Reign had a damned good reason for capturing a small child like this.

Beside the glass cage were two oil lamps, both resting unlit. Reign reached up and took one down. Then, in a single savage moment, he slammed the lamp onto the floor of her cage. The girl screamed in terror and covered her head with her hands, but he hadn’t been aiming for her.

The shattered glass gave way to a stream of oil that spread out in a pool across the floor. This seemed to scare the girl even more, and she began to cry quietly, sobbing into her clenched hands.

Reign looked back at Vincent. Excitement flashed in his eyes as he drew a match from a box in his pocket. A small flare of light, a flicker of sulphur and a small flame danced on top of the match. With another laugh, Reign tossed the match into the glass cage.

Vincent gasped as the oil ignited in a rush of intense heat. The entire floor of the cage burst into flames. Vincent tried to rush forwards to save the girl from a fiery death, but the heat was too intense. A hand tapped incessantly at his shoulder, and he tried to brush it away, but Reign grabbed hold of his hand.

“Look! Look!” Reign shouted excitedly, pointing at the cage.

When his eyes fell upon the cage, Vincent froze to the spot, his eyes nearly popping from their sockets. “But…how?”

The girl, who Vincent had assumed would be burning in agony, was somehow floating above the flames, hovering at the top of her cage. From her back sprouted two enormous wings of the purest white feathers Vincent had ever seen. The two beautiful white fans could only just fit within the confines of the cage, and as she beat them to stay afloat they fanned the flames beneath her.

It wasn’t just her wings that dazzled Vincent with their purity. Her whole body had adopted an ethereal, almost ghostly, silver aura, her hair shimmering with radiance. She didn’t seem too frightened any more, but there was a definite hint of sadness in her gentle eyes.

Vincent studied her carefully, struggling to catch his breath, which he hadn’t realised he had been holding. “What is she?” he managed to croak.

Reign grinned and draped an arm across Vincent’s shoulder. “She, my friend, is an angel.”

D.M. CAIN BIO

D.M. Cain is a dystopian and fantasy author working for Creativia Publishing. The Light and Shadow Chronicles series features a range of books which can be read in any order. The first of these to be written was A Chronicle of Chaos. The Shield of Soren will be released in March 2017. She is currently working on the next novel in the Light and Shadow Chronicles series, The Sins of Silas, as well as two complementary novellas entitled Genesis of Light and Origin of Shadow.
Cain has released one stand-alone novel: The Phoenix Project, a psychological thriller set in a dystopian future. The Phoenix Project was the winner of the 2016 Kindle Book Review Best Sci-Fi novel Award.

D.M. Cain is also a member of the International Thriller Writers and one of the creators and administrators of the online author group #Awethors. Her short story The End was published in Awethology Dark: an anthology by the #Awethors.

Cain lives in Leicestershire, UK with her husband and young son, and spends her time reading, writing and reviewing books, playing RPGs and listening to symphonic metal.

The brand new edition of dystopian, psychological thriller The Phoenix Project by D.M. Cain will be re-released on December 11th. Originally published in May 2014, this new Booktrope edition has had a complete editing overhaul plus a stunning new cover design.

The book will be available to buy from a wide range of digital and paperback distributors, including Amazon:

Britain has descended into chaos as violence and terrorist attacks seethe across this once-peaceful country. Outraged by the steady stream of lawlessness, citizens demand a harsher penal system, and the Phoenix Project is born.

In prisons across the country, inmates fight to the death in a weekly bloodbath while the nation cheers them on.

Raven Kennedy, a prisoner who has never forgiven himself for his unspeakable crime, struggles against his own guilt and self-loathing. But even as the real war wages on within himself, Raven is forced to battle some of the prison’s most ruthless killing machines. Can he survive long enough to unravel the anger and regret that shackle him—and one day find the forgiveness he seeks?

‘The Phoenix Project by D.M. Cain is a superbly written debut, soaked in tension and intrigue,’ Jack Croxall, author of the ‘Tethers’ trilogy.

An interesting fact about The Phoenix Project: The horrifying ‘dark room’ in The Phoenix Project (a pitch-black sensory deprivation cell) was inspired by D.M. Cain’s visit to the Terror Haza in Budapest—a museum dedicated to the fascistic and communistic regimes that operated from the building. In the cellar of the Terror Haza are the old cells used to imprison and torture inmates. D.M. crawled inside a very low cell and shut the door, casting herself into total darkness. It was terrifying and claustrophobic, and she only lasted five minutes in there!

Special treat!!!!!
Listen to DM Cain as she reads from the first chapter of The Phoenix Project! D.M. Cain Biography
D.M. Cain is a dystopian and fantasy author working for US publisher Booktrope. She has released three novels: The Phoenix Project – a psychological thriller set in a dystopian future, Soren – a middle-grade fantasy, and A Chronicle of Chaos – the first in a dark fantasy series. She is currently working on the next novel in the series, ‘The Shield of Soren’, and a novella to accompany it.

D.M. Cain is also a member of the International Thriller Writers and is one of the creators and administrators of the online author group #Awethors. Her short story ‘The End’ was published in Awethology Dark – an anthology by the #Awethors.

Britain has descended into chaos as violence and terrorist attacks seethe across this once-peaceful country. Outraged by the steady stream of lawlessness, citizens demand a harsher penal system, and the Phoenix Project is born.

In prisons across the country, inmates fight to the death in a weekly bloodbath while the nation cheers them on.

Raven Kennedy, a prisoner who has never forgiven himself for his unspeakable crime, struggles against his own guilt and self-loathing. But even as the real war wages on within himself, Raven is forced to battle some of the prison’s most ruthless killing machines. Can he survive long enough to unravel the anger and regret that shackle him—and one day find the forgiveness he seeks?

‘The Phoenix Project by D.M. Cain is a superbly written debut, soaked in tension and intrigue,’ Jack Croxall, author of the ‘Tethers’ trilogy.

D.M. Cain Biography

D.M. Cain is a dystopian and fantasy author working for US publisher Booktrope. She has released two full length novels: The Phoenix Project – a psychological thriller set in a dystopian future, and A Chronicle of Chaos – the first in a dark fantasy series. She is currently working on the next novel in the series – ‘The Shield of Soren’ and a novella to accompany it.

D.M. Cain is also a member of the International Thriller Writers and is one of the creators and administrators of the online author group #Awethors.

Cain lives in Leicestershire, UK with her husband and young son, and spends her time reading, writing and reviewing books, playing RPGs and listening to symphonic metal.

Want to hear all about it from the woman herself? Click here for her video message!

DM Cain’s epic The Light and Shadow Chronicles is due to see the light of day with A Chronicle of Chaos, which you can pre-order by clicking on the link.

Today we’ll show you the amazing trailer! But first, to refresh your memory, my review of A Chronicle of Chaos.

Normally when I’m confronted with so many books up front, I think: “That sounds like a lot of work.” Cain, however, has created such an interesting concept, it pulled me in from the start. A Chronicle of Chaos is part of a series, yes, but it can also be read as a stand-alone. Just like all the other books that will follow and you can read them in any particular order. How refreshing! There’s only one book which doesn’t comply with this feeling of freedom and that’s the final book, which will have to be read, like the title implies, last.

Chaos, our main character in this book, is a bit of a spoiled brat, in desperate need of approval from his grandmother Callista, the ruler and matriarch of his people. You do feel for him though, as does his father and his own regiment, and you want to know more about why they have such faith in Chaos, who is destined to fulfill an important prophecy and only too happy to believe that himself.

When Chaos receives yet another scolding from his grandmother before the council, he flees the city to gather his thoughts of humiliation and anger. Crossing their boundary lines he meets a stranger in a bar who seems to be struggling with the exact same things. Chaos learns and grows a great deal, basking in the knowledge there is someone else who really understands him. Anathema and Chaos develop a friendship, fighting each other, sharing stories and something stirs within them both. Something more than friendship.

The only problem is, Anathema is a demon in human form. And though both may not know it now, his mission will soon read: Destroy Chaos and his people. When the clock is ticking and everybody is looking to you for answers and salvation, do you follow orders or do you follow your own heart? And will you be able to face the consequences?

Us few lucky devils (pun intended) got to read DM Cain’s A Chronicle of Chaos before its release date and I feel very privileged to be among them.

Cain has embarked on a rather unique endeavor with this fantasy-fiction saga. One might go as far to call it her life’s work, as she spent many, many years creating this world, building layer upon layer. I’m sure even Cain herself still has moments when her own characters surprise her, but the future has been set. She knows it and we don’t. Not yet, anyway. With A Chronicle of Chaos we get a first glimpse of that future and I for one can’t wait to read the other books.

Without further ado, the reviews! Enjoy them and if you decide this is the book for you, you can pre-order it here

A Chronicle of Chaos

Normally when I’m confronted with so many books up front, I think: “That sounds like a lot of work.” Cain, however, has created such an interesting concept, it pulled me in from the start. A Chronicle of Chaos is part of a series, yes, but it can also be read as a stand-alone. Just like all the other books that will follow and you can read them in any particular order. How refreshing! There’s only one book which doesn’t comply with this feeling of freedom and that’s the final book, which will have to be read, like the title implies, last.

Chaos, our main character in this book, is a bit of a spoiled brat, in desperate need of approval from his grandmother Callista, the ruler and matriarch of his people. You do feel for him though, as does his father and his own regiment, and you want to know more about why they have such faith in Chaos, who is destined to fulfill an important prophecy and only too happy to believe that himself.

When Chaos receives yet another scolding from his grandmother before the council, he flees the city to gather his thoughts of humiliation and anger. Crossing their boundary lines he meets a stranger in a bar who seems to be struggling with the exact same things. Chaos learns and grows a great deal, basking in the knowledge there is someone else who really understands him. Anathema and Chaos develop a friendship, fighting each other, sharing stories and something stirs within them both. Something more than friendship.

The only problem is, Anathema is a demon in human form. And though both may not know it now, his mission will soon read: Destroy Chaos and his people. When the clock is ticking and everybody is looking to you for answers and salvation, do you follow orders or do you follow your own heart? And will you be able to face the consequences?

Lisa – author of The Elemental

This opening book in DM Cain’s epic Light and Shadow fantasy series certainly plunges us in at the deep end.
A Chronicle Of Chaos sets the scene for a centuries-long battle for dominance between The Children of Light and The Brotherhood of Shadow, introducing us to a number of humans, angels and demons.
The premise behind what will become DM Cain’s multi-book story spanning thousands of years, is that each novel tells the tale of one character – and its unique aspect is that they can be read in almost any order. Each one will be self-contained, with the underlying story arc flowing through it, as the protagonists choose which side to take, building the tension towards one final Armageddon.
Throughout much of this first one, our hero, Chaos Lennox, is seen as more of a petulant anti-hero as the reader comes to terms with his immaturity and stubbornness (despite his great age by our standards and the success he has achieved before we meet him).
While it begins as a classic opening for traditional good versus evil, it quickly develops into a book of two distinct threads. The first introduces us to Callista, the matriarch whose family dynasty rules the land of Alcherys; to a group of demons who are freed from Hell to give the Brotherhood of Shadow a helping hand; and to the angels who turn up to level the playing field. The second thread graphically describes a series of battles with horrendous consequences, while interweaving a dangerous love story – dangerous because it is not only same sex love, but between different species. While there is nothing explicit or graphic in the sex aspects, DM Cain masterfully sets the ultimate dilemma for the two lovers – should they sacrifice everything for each other?
The characters in this novel are finely written, both those representing the good side and evil – you’ll wonder how Callista rose to her position of supremacy, and who the malevolent Bavelize is. You’ll marvel at the wonderful power and goodness of the angels while weeping at the fate of some of them. You’ll gasp in horror at the ruthless brutality of the demons as they unleash their horrors upon hordes of innocent villagers, as well as on the angels and Children of Light. And you’ll be perplexed at Mikhail’s stunning ability. Don’t expect to find all the answers in A Chronicle Of Chaos. We’ll have to wait for each character’s own novel to tie up the loose ends.
But the heart of this first book – its true essence – is prejudice and love, persistence and stubbornness. The love aspect is certainly not for the faint-hearted, showing just how blind that most powerful and raw of emotions can be. I was left wondering all the way through how it could possibly end – it has to end badly for one or both of the lovers, doesn’t it? Sorry, I’m giving no clues as to the outcome, other than saying you’ll have to wait until the very last sentence to find out.
Roll on The Shield Of Soren – book number two in what promises to be a fascinating and awe-inspiring series.

Stewart Bint – author of Timeshaft

The first book from the Light and Shadow Chronicles series called A Chronicle of Chaos sets up a fantastic world of fantasy and adventure. The main character, Chaos, is a young man in a group called Nightfall. He is destined to be a great fighter and is eager to fulfil his destiny.

He meets Anathema, a young man who is also feeling he needs to prove his value to his group. The story continues as Chaos and Anathema become closer and closer neither realising they are enemies and that Anathema and Chaos are on opposing sides.

The descriptions of the landscape and villages are breathtaking and are so good you can see the scenes in your mind. There are many battles that are tense and really pull at your nerves. The Children of Light call the angels to help fight the group Anathema has after them. All the while Anathema has demons at his disposal leading to some unimaginable battles. A Chronicle of Chaos has a lot of mythology and history that keeps your attention and will set the scene for many great tales in the books in this series.

A Chronicle of Chaos is a story of love, loss, and coming of age all within a wonderful fantasy world. I was thrilled, excited and heartbroken all at the same time. The range of emotions brought me back to D.M. Cain’s first book The Phoenix Project. I’m excited to see the final book and the next book in the series.

David Spell – Reader

In her second novel, D M Cain introduces us to a deep and immersing new world and to a struggle that has been raging for hundreds of years. Told through the experiences of a young man trying to earn his place in the world, and a monster struggling against his bonds, it is an intriguing glimpse into the nature of friend and foe, and into the fragility of absolutes.

Once again Cain manages to subvert our expectations, forcing upon us surprising pathos for the sociopathic, and unreasoning anger against decisions that can only objectively be described as just. I for one eagerly anticipate the next book in the series.

October 23 is the day. The day A Chronicle of Chaos will be available to the world. This is the first book in The Light and Shadow Chronicles, though you can read them in any order you like, with the exception of the final book.

About the Book

In the deepest bowels of hell, five demons have been summoned, their bonds to the fires of damnation severed. For the first time in millennia, they have been called to the human realm to put an end to a battle that has raged for centuries.

The Children of Light and the Brotherhood of Shadow dominate the war-torn land, each yearning to rule the planet. Now the Brotherhood has summoned the demons, a weapon that could destroy their enemies once and for all, if they can only keep them under control. Chaos, a soldier in The Children of Light, basks in the glory of being the highest ranking fighter of his generation, but his arrogance and impulsiveness prevent him from being given the opportunity to prove himself. He believes himself beyond the law, but a fateful coincidence puts him at the mercy of the demon, Anathema.

The two warriors, demon and human, strike up an intense rivalry, but their obsession to destroy one another only leads them closer together. They must decide which is more important to them – their duty or their desire.

Are you just as curious to find out more about the book and the author as I am? Then listen to this amazing interview with D.M. Cain where she gives us a peek into her way of writing, her childhood, her personal life and how The Light and Shadow Chronicles were born!

About the Author

Since early childhood, D.M. Cain has always been blessed with an over-active imagination. Stories and characters rattled around in her mind and she began to write them down in a (relatively) organised manner when she was around ten years old. Cain still has the stories she wrote as a young child and can vividly remember losing herself in a world of her own creation.

“I tried my hand at writing a variety of different tales – from short stories about daily, teenage life to horror and science fiction. As a teenager, my amazing best friend and I created a world of fantasy and wonder. We met every day and created new characters, walked for hours and simply talked through battles and events. It became our own little project, which grew and developed over three or four years into a rich fantasy world. My friend grew up and moved away from dragons and magic, but I never did. So I continued the story and it grew… and grew… and grew. The stories remained inside my head and I didn’t write them down for many years.”

Cain began to write in earnest around the age of eighteen, when she came up with the idea for The Phoenix Project. She played around with certain scenes – writing the most exciting parts – until university, friends and relationships stole her attention.

Throughout her university years, she carried on with both of these ideas – the fantasy world and ‘The Phoenix Project’, dipping in and out of the stories and characters, playing with ideas as and when they occurred to her, writing paragraphs here and chapters there. It wasn’t until she graduated and traveled to Japan to teach English that the fantasy world really began to take off.

Japan inspired Cain in so many ways and her imagination blossomed. The stories in her fantasy world stretched out to both the past and the future, and the timeline began to cover decades, then centuries and finally, millennia. She started to keep notes of the things that happened (it all became too much for her brain to keep track of!), but she rarely wrote anything as actual prose.

In 2008, Cain returned to England, depressed and dejected at having to leave the place she loved so much. She planned on keeping her head down, getting her teaching qualifications, then running straight back to the country she now called home.

“I never expected to meet Matt, the love of my life, in my dreary coal mining hometown, but there he was, dancing away with his friends in a dingy bikers pub, and he piqued my interest. He stole my heart when I discovered he was a talented writer and had actually finished two novels, where I had only dreamed of doing so.”

That was it. The challenge was on. His support and encouragement gave her the focus to write properly, and she resurrected the old ‘Phoenix Project.’

D.M. Cain at the launch party of The Phoenix Project

“We spent every evening writing, sharing chapters and critiquing each others’ work. It was one of the happiest times of my life. We dropped everything and traveled across Europe via InterRail – Istanbul, Budapest, Krakow… We visited 14 countries and would spend hours and hours on rickety trains trundling through Carpathian mountains or idly floating along the Rhine Valley. And it was on this journey that I wrote the majority of that novel – inspired by the majesty of the scenery and the freedom of the open road.”

They returned to England and settled into jobs. Cain became a primary school teacher, a job she adored, but which exhausted her daily. In the evenings she continued to write, and in 2011, heavily pregnant with her wonderful son, she finally finished ‘The Phoenix Project.’

“I imagined that a baby would stop me from writing, but strangely I found his little face more inspiring than any of the scenery we’d passed on our travels, and I wrote more following his birth than I did before it.”

But she had finished ‘The Phoenix Project’ – her everything, her passion in life, the book she poured my heart and soul into. Cain wanted to feel that passion again, that burning desire to delve deep into her character’s mind and tell their story.

So she began to write the fantasy world which had existed in her head for so long. And that’s how the Light and Shadow Chronicles were born. She picked a point in the centre of the timeline and focused upon Chaos – a character very close to her heart, and began to write his story. Two years later, ‘The Chronicle of Chaos’ was finished, but she had barely scratched the surface of this immense world.

Cain realised she wanted to tell the entire story, and she chose another character and began to tell their story. ‘The Shield of Soren’ is still in progress and is likely to be finished in 2015.

A Chronicle of Chaos is available for pre-order now! You can order your copy here

My lovely and talented author friend D.M. Cain nominated me for this work-in-progress blog challenge. The idea is that we reveal something about our work-in-progress, link back to the person who nominated us and in turn nominate a further four people to continue the chain.

D.M. Cain is the author of The Phoenix Project and the upcoming A Chronicle of Chaos. I wrote the following about The Phoenix Project:

The Phoenix Project by D.M. Cain has caught me by surprise. While one might argue there are elements in the book not unknown to us and may remind the reader of The Hunger Games or a really depressing episode of Prison Break, The Phoenix Project brings us political and religious views that are new and refreshing.

We follow Raven as he deals with life in prison, the dreadful Phoenix Project. He lives in a society where religion is outlawed and criminals are put away in a prison to fight to the death, fights that are broadcasted live, for all our nation to see. Raven is filled with self-loathing and you can’t help but wonder what it is that got him landed there in the first place. He wants to die, but doesn’t feel he deserves to, either. Whether or not Raven gets his secret wish, you’ll just have to wait and see.

What interested me most though, is that Cain is able to create a world where you actually understand how it got this far. Our Big Brother society, combined with our ‘hunger’ for reality-tv garbage could potentially lead us to a scenario, so vividly brought to life by Cain. A not-so-gentle reminder to check our own morals, our beliefs and our system of justice. To repeatedly ask ourselves, am I okay with what I see in the mirror?

As for my work-in-progress, I am currently writing part two of The Fire Trilogy, The Empath. Release date will be early next year or maybe, maybe just before Christmas if everything goes smoothly. The Empath is basically the same storyline as The Elemental, only from Tristan’s and Alan’s point of view instead of Catherine’s. It has a much darker feel as we learn more about the mysterious The Company Tristan works for.

Below, I have included the first part of chapters 1 – 3 of The Empath.

PROLOGUE

It was deadly quiet in the corridors of the mental hospital. A woman walked purposefully towards her destination, room 6.12. Sixth floor, sixth door on her left. Two men were walking behind her, keeping a respectful distance.

A MONTH LATER

Tristan looked out of his window. He was back in London, Shoreditch to be exact. He didn’t mind, he actually liked London. It was the reason why he was here he didn’t like.

SUNDAY

Tristan woke up with a start. After a few seconds of disorientation he remembered where he was and heard sounds coming from the kitchen and the smell of eggs and bacon. He had had a weird dream about the people in the coffin-like tubes at The Company.